The Smell of Home, Hitchhikers, Old Friends and a 13th Birthday
The day before we planned to leave Havana I was on a call downstairs and Russ came to get me. He said there was a couple that needed a ride to Mexico and he was talking to them. My Mom-reaction was No Way In Hell would I bring strangers on board overnight. But I walked out to meet them and my gut reaction was that I did not have one ounce of worry or hesitation that these were good humans. Trust your gut.
Flo from Germany and Franciska from Norway are two incredible people. In their late twenties they have backpacked all over the world, catching a ride across the Atlantic and continuing to find rides through the Caribbean. Flo records sounds and is a drummer while Fran produced a video for her masters degree that has earned her great acclaim in the film-making world. They were easy going, helped with watches (the sail was only one night), played games and helped cook and clean. When we arrived in Mexico, we were sad it wasn’t a longer sail so we could hang out with them more. They thanked us in a lovely card that Fran painted. They confirmed just how wonderful people are and how much we gain when we take chances and open our hearts.
After saying goodbye to them in Cancun we started planning Jordan’s 13th birthday and Hannah’s farewell. We decided on day passes to a resort with all-you-can-do activities and all-you-can-eat buffets for the kids, Hannah and I, while Gus and Russ worked on replacing the inverter, the big project that led us to Mexico.
We had a great day and Jordan ate questionable amounts of his favorite things in between swimming and surfing. We added more pizza and cake to top off the day. 13 is a big number and seems unfathomable. He was 5 pounds at birth and now he’s growing an inch a month, now 5’8” with feet as big as Russ. He is so smart, has a great sense of humor, is sensitive and kind and fiery and an avid reader. The freedom of the sea agrees with Jordan.
The next day, Hannah flew from Cancun to the Dominican Republic to meet the boat she agreed to join back when we were in the Bahamas. After 15 months, it was a tearful goodbye and we wish her well on her journey. She truly helped us when we needed it most and the kids have grown so much they don’t need the same kind of looking-after anymore. We will miss her!
We were so excited to visit with our favorite Mexican host, Russ’ dear friend Gabriel. Gabriel hosted us years ago in Monterrey, then again in Ensenada for his epic 50th birthday wine country tour, and here we meet in Cancun. He knows all the best restaurants and we spent a day with him Iriding around Isla Mujeres in a golf cart and lounging on the beach. He spent the night with us on Big Em and he, Russ and Gus smoked cigars and chatted into the evening. The best times are when Big Em takes us to friends around the world.
Our last day in Cancun was spent doing things we haven’t found anywhere since leaving home two years ago. We went to Wal-Mart! Never has this been so exciting. Rosie and I walked in, said hello to the greeter and Rosie inhaled deeply and exclaimed, “It smells like home!” We’ve smelled rain on ancient ruins in Greece, sniffed the salty morning air of the Mediterranean, and gulped in the scent of spices in a market in Morocco, but the aroma of unnecessary abundance in a big box American store never leaves us. So we walked every aisle, filled our cart with lots of things we don’t need, and then savored frozen blizzards from Dairy Queen on the way back to the boat.
New friends, new inverter, new 13-year-old, new goods from Wal-Mart and new memories with an old friend. We heart Mexico!
